Drake Chamber Choir England Tour 2010
Friday-Saturday, January 1-2, 2010 Journal by Max Maher
The Drake Chamber Choir kicked off the new decade not by staying up late and partying until dawn, but by calling it a night early and bracing itself for the journey ahead. We began our tour the morning of January 1st, not in an airport terminal as the ensemble normally would, but rather in the beautiful St. Ambrose Cathedral in downtown Des Moines.
Despite the bitter weather, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming as we sang for the New Year’s Day Mass. Following the service, Chamber Choir performed its pre-tour concert for the church’s patrons, most of which appeared to stay and listen. Their response was incredibly positive, and the ovation following served as a license for us to share our music with another part of the world.
The four-hour gap between the end of the concert and the trip to the airport proved to be a long time-slot, as the anticipation for what was to come grew tenser. Once we arrived, got through a little baggage drama, and cleared security, we faced what seems to be a new curse of Drake Choral trips: delays. Our first flight to Chicago did not leave until at least an hour over schedule, and as we landed, our connecting flight was almost fully boarded. However, after rushing to another gate in one of the world’s largest airports, we made it on our next flight with several minutes to spare.
About eight hours later, with a little roller-coaster ride of turbulence over the middle of the Atlantic, the Chamber Choir landed in Heathrow Airport. After getting through customs and collecting luggage, we met our delightful, cheery, and positively Irish tour manager Tom Doyle. We made our way to our orange tour bus (seriously, there was a logo with an orange posted on it), and then started on our way toward Windsor Castle along what Mr. Doyle was kind enough to remind us was the “correct” side of the road.
With adrenaline pumping through our sleep-deprived bodies, we arrived at Windsor Castle. The historic value of the location hit me immediately, as we left a parking lot full of buses drowned with the sound of planes overhead and made our way toward what England connoisseur Rick Steves describes as “the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world” (Steves, pp. 179). Jaws dropped as we made our way through St. George’s Chapel in admiration of the stunning, intricate architecture. The sensation was that we were walking through a crowded history, squeezing through the memories of its former inhabitants.
The most magical moment of our visit to Windsor Castle was during our informal sing within St. George’s Chapel. After getting into a circle formation, we led ourselves through renditions of “My Spirit Sang All Day,” “Weep, O Mine Eyes,” and “The Three Kings.” The ring in the chapel sent shivers through my spine, and as I looked around in between our performances, the sound seemed to freeze passersby. Following our last piece, we enjoyed a round of applause. A Russian tour guide approached me asking who we were and where we were from so she could inform her group.
I learned something new following our performance at St. George’s Chapel: not only do we travel to Europe to share our music with a different part of the world, but with all parts of the world. England is a cultural Mecca for tourists, and the fact that we brightened the days of people not only from Europe, but from Asia, Australia, and many other areas helped make our days brighter in turn.
Following this, we had a little over an hour to explore the rest of the castle and the town of Windsor. After passing through the resting spots of Kings Charles I and Henry VIII, my group headed through the town and learned the true formula for devising a pub name: “The (noun) and (often grosser noun).” As 15:45 came around, it was time to head back to the tour bus and make our way to the De Vere University Arms Hotel in Cambridge.
After cleaning up for the first time since leaving Des Moines, the time came for our orientation dinner at the hotel. The food was remarkable and very much appreciated after such a long journey. Once we learned what was to come the next day, everybody headed to his or her room for a long, much-needed night’s sleep.
Despite the bitter weather, the atmosphere was warm and welcoming as we sang for the New Year’s Day Mass. Following the service, Chamber Choir performed its pre-tour concert for the church’s patrons, most of which appeared to stay and listen. Their response was incredibly positive, and the ovation following served as a license for us to share our music with another part of the world.
The four-hour gap between the end of the concert and the trip to the airport proved to be a long time-slot, as the anticipation for what was to come grew tenser. Once we arrived, got through a little baggage drama, and cleared security, we faced what seems to be a new curse of Drake Choral trips: delays. Our first flight to Chicago did not leave until at least an hour over schedule, and as we landed, our connecting flight was almost fully boarded. However, after rushing to another gate in one of the world’s largest airports, we made it on our next flight with several minutes to spare.
About eight hours later, with a little roller-coaster ride of turbulence over the middle of the Atlantic, the Chamber Choir landed in Heathrow Airport. After getting through customs and collecting luggage, we met our delightful, cheery, and positively Irish tour manager Tom Doyle. We made our way to our orange tour bus (seriously, there was a logo with an orange posted on it), and then started on our way toward Windsor Castle along what Mr. Doyle was kind enough to remind us was the “correct” side of the road.
With adrenaline pumping through our sleep-deprived bodies, we arrived at Windsor Castle. The historic value of the location hit me immediately, as we left a parking lot full of buses drowned with the sound of planes overhead and made our way toward what England connoisseur Rick Steves describes as “the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world” (Steves, pp. 179). Jaws dropped as we made our way through St. George’s Chapel in admiration of the stunning, intricate architecture. The sensation was that we were walking through a crowded history, squeezing through the memories of its former inhabitants.
The most magical moment of our visit to Windsor Castle was during our informal sing within St. George’s Chapel. After getting into a circle formation, we led ourselves through renditions of “My Spirit Sang All Day,” “Weep, O Mine Eyes,” and “The Three Kings.” The ring in the chapel sent shivers through my spine, and as I looked around in between our performances, the sound seemed to freeze passersby. Following our last piece, we enjoyed a round of applause. A Russian tour guide approached me asking who we were and where we were from so she could inform her group.
I learned something new following our performance at St. George’s Chapel: not only do we travel to Europe to share our music with a different part of the world, but with all parts of the world. England is a cultural Mecca for tourists, and the fact that we brightened the days of people not only from Europe, but from Asia, Australia, and many other areas helped make our days brighter in turn.
Following this, we had a little over an hour to explore the rest of the castle and the town of Windsor. After passing through the resting spots of Kings Charles I and Henry VIII, my group headed through the town and learned the true formula for devising a pub name: “The (noun) and (often grosser noun).” As 15:45 came around, it was time to head back to the tour bus and make our way to the De Vere University Arms Hotel in Cambridge.
After cleaning up for the first time since leaving Des Moines, the time came for our orientation dinner at the hotel. The food was remarkable and very much appreciated after such a long journey. Once we learned what was to come the next day, everybody headed to his or her room for a long, much-needed night’s sleep.
